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Technology is the leading edge in everything and thankfully I feel like I have had a decent amount of exposure to technology. To me, technology comes easy, so I hope this continues! I enjoy using technology in every day life and showing others how to use it. I went to a high school that was "Information Technology" based, not that we had anything super techy, but it was around. Growing up, my parents did not always have the latest technologies in the house, but I consistently bugged them until I got what my friends had. In college, I was trained and exposed to SMART Boards and instantly fell in love with them. College opened my eyes to the possibilities of bringing technology into the classroom with my reading block teacher, Jason Jackson. He had two smart boards in his classroom and showed me the potential for learning and engaging students that had difficulty focusing. For the past two years, I have had the pleasure of having a Promethean Board in my classroom. During my first year of teaching, my KTIP leadership project was based upon technology, and my Principal sent me to the KYSTE conference. There, I fell in love with technology and the potential it has to influence all of my students. I have used Writing tablets, iPod touches, ELMO, Clicker systems, and Promethean Boards in my classroom. I have also performed a Professional Development on Promethean Boards and the uses of iPods in the classroom. I have many hopes to attain more technology in my classroom and teach others what I am learning. My latest technology gadgets that I have purchased are the iPhone (3g) in July 2010 and I absolutely love it. I also have an iPod touch, that I do not use much anymore due to getting an iPhone. After experiencing an iPhone, I definitely cannot wait to have the newest and latest gadgets. I am looking to purchase an iPad this Summer because I love the possiblities that it offers.

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media type="custom" key="8026274" Sir Ken Sir Ken's "Changing Education Paradigms" has opened my eyes to a different side of education. Standardized testing is directing the way we teach. If we do not teach to the test, then educators are not teaching the materials that seem to matter the most to the Board and it makes teachers look poorly. If we teach the test, we lose students along the way. It seems like an impossible task for teachers to find a medium. I do agree with Sir Ken regarding the discussion of how we need to stop looking and reforming the education system of the past and we need to create something more modern, that is guided towards the students as successful learners.Sir Ken's discussion regarding the overmedicating and overdiagnosing ADHD is true as well. Today's youth are multitasker. They get bored quickly, which is where technology will help with education. It offers the variety that today's students need. The results of the divergent thinking experiment did not surprise me. I feel that I am an example of that. I do not feel I am very creative or that I do well with "thinking outside of the box". Looking at projects I did when I was younger, I used to be better at creativity than I am now.